Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6663945
-
Patent Number
6,663,945
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, September 26, 200122 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, December 16, 200320 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Jones; Deborah
- Blackwell-Rudasill; G. A.
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 283 72
- 283 94
- 428 916
- 428 203
- 428 914
- 428 1951
-
International Classifications
- B32B300
- B42D1510
- B42D1500
-
Abstract
A multilayer card is described. The multilayer card includes a base layer, a watermark layer, an image layer, and an opaque layer. The watermark layer is provided on the base layer and is at least partially transparent. The image layer is provided on the watermark layer. The opaque layer is provided on the image layer.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to multilayer cards, and more specifically, to multilayer cards and methods of manufacturing the multilayer cards.
Various identification cards have been used for identifying individuals. Those identification cards have some security marks or prints in order to avoid counterfeiting. Furthermore, identification cards usually have to be protected against tampering on the surfaces of the cards. For example, some cards are covered by a transparent plastic film for surface protection.
In the prior art, a printer such as a thermal transfer printer prints images on a base material of such an identification card first. Then, the process of covering the card by a film is performed after printing. Therefore, the prior art requires two separate steps for making laminated tamper-proof cards: a printing step and a laminating step. However, this two-step manufacturing technique poses some problems. Since the printing step and the laminating step are performed by totally different mechanisms, it is difficult to easily incorporating two functions into a single machine. As a result, providing a printer which outputs tamper-proof, printed cards becomes economically unrealistic especially for personal use.
In view of these and other issues, it would be desirable to have a technique allowing a thermal transfer printer to print an identification card and then apply a tamper-proof layer on the card.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to various embodiments of the present invention, a multilayer card has a base layer, a watermark layer, an image layer, and an opaque layer. The watermark layer is provided on the base layer, and is at least partially transparent. The image layer is provided on the watermark layer. The opaque layer is provided on the image layer. The opaque layer functions as a protective layer against tampering or scratching.
In some embodiments, the opaque layer includes a metallic layer.
In some specific embodiments, the opaque layer includes a regular color layer.
A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1
is a cross-sectional view of a thermal transfer printer for manufacturing a specific embodiment of a multilayer card according to the present invention.
FIG. 2
is a cross-sectional view of an alternative thermal transfer printer for manufacturing the multilayer card according to the present invention.
FIG. 3
is a cross-sectional view of a specific example of the ink film used for the embodiments of the multilayer card and the method of manufacturing the multilayer card according to the present invention described referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
.
FIG. 4
is a cross-sectional view of a multilayer card of a specific embodiment according to the present invention during the printing process.
FIG. 5
is a cross-sectional view of the multilayer card of a specific embodiment according to the present invention after the printing process.
FIG. 6
is a cross-sectional view of a multilayer card of an alternative embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 7
is a cross-sectional view of a multilayer card of another specific embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 8
is a cross-sectional view of a specific example of the base layer film used for the embodiments of the multilayer card and the method of manufacturing the multilayer card according to the present invention described referring to FIGS.
1
and
2
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like elements are referred to with like reference labels throughout.
Various embodiments of the present invention have a base layer, a watermark layer, an image layer, and an opaque layer. The opaque layer functions as a protective layer against tampering or scratching.
FIG. 1
is a cross-sectional view of a thermal transfer printer
100
for manufacturing a specific embodiment of a multilayer card according to the present invention. The thermal transfer printer
100
includes a roller printing section
102
, a thermal transfer printing section
104
, and a controller
106
within a housing
108
. A printing medium
110
is fed along a medium flow path
112
from left to right in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 1
shows three locations of the printing medium
110
in the thermal transfer printer
100
.
Suitable polymers for the printing medium
110
include polyvinylchloride (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polypropylene sulfate (PPS), and polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG). Circles shown in
FIG. 1
represent rollers or platens, and elongated rectangulars
110
in
FIG. 1
represent cards or plate-like materials used as the printing medium
110
.
The roller printing section
102
includes a transfer roller
120
which is operable to heat opaque ink on an ink film
122
, thereby transferring the opaque ink from the ink film
122
to the printing medium
110
. In order to heat the opaque ink, the transfer roller
120
has a heater
124
therein. In order to apply pressure to the ink film
122
and the printing medium
110
, the transfer roller
120
is mechanically coupled to a pressure mechanism
126
which presses the transfer roller
120
against a platen
128
. The pressure mechanism
126
includes, for example, a spring. Thus, the transfer roller
120
presses the ink film
122
and the printing medium
110
against the platen
128
. The ink film
122
includes at least one of a gold color layer, a silver color layer, and a bronze color layer on a base film. The base film is made from plastic materials including polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
The platen
128
included in the roller printing section
102
in this specific embodiment is a roller having a rubber layer thereon. However, the platen
128
may be any other suitable type of platen including a flat platen. Feeding rollers
130
and
132
feed the printing medium
110
onto the transfer roller
120
and the platen
128
along the medium flow path
112
. The controller
106
controls rotational speeds and directions of the transfer roller
120
and the feeding roller
130
appropriately.
The thermal transfer printing section
104
is operable to heat regular color ink on a regular color ink film
140
for transfer the regular color ink from the regular color ink film
140
to the printing medium
110
. The regular color ink film
140
includes at least one of a cyan color layer, a magenta color layer, a yellow color layer, a black color layer, and a white color layer on a base film. The base film is made from plastic materials including polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
The thermal transfer printing section
104
includes a printing head
142
having a plurality of resistance heating elements
144
, and a platen
146
. The resistance heating elements
144
apply heat to the regular color ink film
140
based on electric drive pulses representing image data. The printing head
142
presses the regular color ink film
140
and an intermediate transfer film
148
against the platen
146
, thereby transferring the regular color ink to the intermediate transfer film
148
by heat and pressure. The intermediate transfer film
148
constitutes a closed loop, which rotates counterclockwise in
FIG. 1
supported by feeding rollers
150
,
152
,
154
and
156
.
The regular color ink transferred from the regular color ink film
140
to the intermediate transfer film
148
is carried counter clockwise to a point where an intermediate transfer roller
158
and a platen
160
contact the printing medium
110
. In order to determine the exact position of the printing medium
110
, the thermal transfer printing section
104
includes a sensor
162
which detects a predetermined point on the printing medium
110
by utilizing, for example, an optical sensing technique. Feeding rollers
164
and
166
feed the printing medium
110
onto the intermediate transfer roller
158
and the platen
160
along the medium flow path
112
. The controller
106
controls rotational speeds and directions of the feeding roller
164
appropriately.
The printing medium
110
is positioned on a predetermined point on the medium flow path
112
by using the sensor
162
and the feeding roller
164
controlled by the controller
106
. Then, the feeding rollers
164
and
166
feed the printing medium
110
onto the intermediate transfer roller
158
and the platen
160
along the medium flow path
112
. The intermediate transfer roller
158
presses the intermediate transfer film
148
and the printing medium
110
against the platen
160
, thereby transferring the regular color ink from the intermediate transfer film
148
to the printing medium
110
by pressure. Feeding rollers
170
and
172
feed the printing medium
110
out of the housing
108
of the thermal transfer printer
100
along the medium flow path
112
. The controller
106
controls rotational speeds and directions of the feeding rollers
170
and
172
appropriately.
FIG. 2
is a cross-sectional view of an alternative thermal transfer printer
200
for manufacturing the multilayer card according to the present invention. The thermal transfer printer
200
includes the roller printing section
102
, a thermal transfer printing section
204
, and the controller
106
within the housing
108
. The differences between the embodiments shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
mainly reside in the thermal transfer printing section
204
. Thus, it should be appreciated that elements in
FIG. 2
which are assigned the same reference labels as shown in
FIG. 1
have the same functionalities as those of
FIG. 1
with the exception that the elements are designed to be coordinated with the thermal transfer printing section
204
.
The thermal transfer printing section
204
is operable to heat regular color ink on a regular color ink film
240
for transfer the regular color ink from the regular color ink film
240
to the printing medium
110
. The regular color ink film
240
includes at least one of a cyan color layer, a magenta color layer, a yellow color layer, a black color layer, and a white color layer on a base film, which is made from plastic materials including PET.
The thermal transfer printing section
204
includes a printing head
242
having a plurality of resistance heating elements
244
, and a platen
246
. The resistance heating elements
244
apply heat to the regular color ink film
240
based on electric drive pulses representing image data. The printing head
242
presses the regular color ink film
240
and the printing medium
110
against the platen
246
, thereby transferring the regular color ink from the regular color ink film
240
to the printing medium
110
by heat and pressure.
In the above-described embodiments referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the transfer roller
120
is positioned upstream relative to the thermal transfer printing sections
104
and
204
along the medium flow path
112
of the printing medium
110
. Such an arrangement may be desirable where, for example, the opaque ink on the ink film
122
is printed on the printing medium
110
first, and then the regular color ink on the regular color ink films
140
and
240
is printed on the printing medium
110
since the thermal transfer printers
100
and
200
can efficiently print the opaque ink as a background layer on the whole surface of one side of the printing medium
110
.
FIG. 3
is a cross-sectional view of a specific example of the ink film
122
used for the embodiments of the multilayer card and the method of manufacturing the multilayer card according to the present invention described referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
. The ink film
122
includes a base film
300
, an adhesive layer
302
, and an opaque color layer
304
. The base film is made from plastic materials such as PET. The adhesive layer
302
is interposed between the base film
300
and the opaque color layer
304
for affixing the opaque color layer
304
to the base film
300
. The opaque color layer
304
includes at least one of “regular color layers” and “metallic layers.”
In this specification, “metallic ink” includes any ink which includes metallic substance such as metallic powder, metallic film or the like. Thus, the metallic ink includes, for example, gold color ink, silver color ink, and bronze (or copper) color ink. Similarly, a “metallic layer” includes any layer which carries metallic ink thereon. Thus, the metallic layer includes metallic substance such as metallic powder, metallic film or the like. “Regular color ink” means any ink other than the metallic ink, which includes, for example, cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, black ink, and white ink. A “regular color layer” includes any layer which carries regular color ink thereon.
FIG. 4
is a cross-sectional view of a multilayer card
400
of a specific embodiment according to the present invention during the printing process. Before the printing process utilizing the thermal transfer printers
100
and
200
, the multilayer card
400
includes only the printing medium
110
. The specific embodiment of the method according to the present invention will now be described referring to
FIGS. 1
,
4
and
5
.
First, the thermal transfer printer
100
receives the multilayer card
400
from an opening provided on the housing
108
. The feeding rollers
130
and
132
feed the multilayer card
400
onto the transfer roller
120
and the platen
128
along the medium flow path
112
. Next, the transfer roller
120
transfers the opaque color layer
304
from the ink film
122
to an upper surface of the printing medium
110
of the multilayer card
400
. A transferred opaque color layer
404
is affixed to the printing medium
110
by heat and pressure which are applied by the transfer roller
120
, the heater
124
, and the platen
128
. Then, an adhesive layer
406
is applied to a surface of the transferred opaque color layer
404
for improving adhesiveness between the transferred opaque color layer
404
and regular color layers printed on the transferred opaque color layer
404
.
FIG. 5
is a cross-sectional view of the multilayer card
400
of the specific embodiment according to the present invention after the printing process. After printing the opaque color layer
404
, the feeding rollers
164
and
166
feed the multilayer card
400
onto the intermediate transfer roller
158
and the platen
160
along the medium flow path
112
. The multilayer card
400
is positioned on a predetermined point on the medium flow path
112
by using the sensor
162
and the feeding roller
164
controlled by the controller
106
. Then, the feeding rollers
164
and
166
feed the multilayer card
400
onto the intermediate transfer roller
158
and the platen
160
along the medium flow path
112
. The intermediate transfer roller
158
presses the intermediate transfer film
148
and the multilayer card
400
against the platen
160
, thereby transferring a cyan color layer
502
, a magenta color layer
504
, a yellow color layer
506
, a black color layer
508
, and a white color layer
510
from the intermediate transfer film
148
to a surface of the adhesive layer
406
. The order of printing the regular color layers may be modified appropriately. It should be appreciated that one or more layers among the cyan color layer
502
, the magenta color layer
504
, the yellow color layer
506
, the black color layer
508
, and the white color layer
510
may be omitted to be printed on the multilayer card
400
.
The specific embodiment of the method according to the present invention described above referring to
FIGS. 1
,
4
and
5
can be implemented by utilizing the thermal transfer printer
200
illustrated in
FIG. 2
in a similar manner except that the regular color printing is performed by the thermal transfer printing section
204
rather than the thermal transfer printing section
104
. Thus, further detail is omitted.
In the specific embodiments described above, the regular color printing by the thermal transfer printing sections
104
and
204
can be implemented by a single thermal head. However, it should be appreciated that a plurality of thermal heads can be used for the regular color printing.
FIG. 6
is a cross-sectional view of a multilayer card
600
of a specific embodiment of the present invention. Now referring to
FIGS. 1
,
2
and
6
, a specific embodiment of the method for manufacturing a multilayer card according to the present invention will be described. This specific embodiment of the invention utilizes one of the thermal transfer printers
100
and
200
. Before the printing process utilizing the thermal transfer printers
100
and
200
, the multilayer card
600
includes only a base layer
602
which corresponds to the printing medium
110
in
FIGS. 1 and 2
.
First, the thermal transfer printer
100
receives the multilayer card
600
from an opening provided on the housing
108
. The feeding rollers
130
and
132
feed the multilayer card
600
through the transfer roller
120
and the platen
128
along the medium flow path
112
. The multilayer card
600
is positioned on a predetermined point on the medium flow path
112
by using the sensor
162
and the feeding roller
164
controlled by the controller
106
. Then, the feeding rollers
164
and
166
further feed the multilayer card
600
onto the intermediate transfer roller
158
and the platen
160
along the medium flow path
112
. The thermal transfer printing section
104
transfers a watermark layer
604
from the intermediate transfer film
148
to the multilayer card
600
. The watermark layer
604
is at least partially transparent and thus functions as a watermark for avoiding counterfeiting. The watermark layer
604
includes at least one of an ultraviolet (UV) ink layer, a holographic layer, and a special ink layer for improved security.
Second, the multilayer card
600
is again positioned on a predetermined point on the medium flow path
112
by using the sensor
162
and the feeding roller
164
controlled by the controller
106
. The feeding rollers
164
and
166
feed the multilayer card
600
onto the intermediate transfer roller
158
and the platen
160
along the medium flow path
112
. On top of the watermark layer
604
, the thermal transfer printing section
104
transfers an image layer
606
from the intermediate transfer film
148
to the multilayer card
600
. The image layer
606
includes at least one of the metallic ink and the regular color ink as described above in connection with the opaque color layer
304
, by which various images including characters and graphics are represented.
Then, the feeding rollers
130
,
132
,
164
and
166
feed the multilayer card
600
back onto the transfer roller
120
and the platen
128
along the medium flow path
112
. The transfer roller
120
transfers the opaque layer
304
from the ink film
122
to a top surface of the image layer
606
of the multilayer card
600
. The opaque layer
304
is affixed to the multilayer card
600
by heat and pressure which are applied by the transfer roller
120
, the heater
124
, and the platen
128
. A transferred opaque layer
608
includes at least one of metallic color layers and regular color layers, thereby functioning as a background layer on which the image layer
606
is printed.
Finally, the multilayer card
600
shown in
FIG. 6
is moved along the medium flow path
112
from left to right in FIG.
1
through the feeding rollers
164
,
166
,
170
and
172
for ejection from the housing
108
of the thermal transfer printer
100
.
The specific embodiment of the present invention described above referring to
FIGS. 1 and 6
can be implemented by utilizing the thermal transfer printer
200
illustrated in
FIG. 2
in a similar manner except that the regular color printing is performed by the thermal transfer printing section
204
rather than the thermal transfer printing section
104
. Thus, further detail is omitted.
In the specific embodiments described above, the image layer printing by the thermal transfer printing sections
104
and
204
can be implemented by a single thermal head. However, it should be appreciated that a plurality of thermal heads can be used for the regular color printing.
FIG. 7
is a cross-sectional view of a multilayer card
700
of another specific embodiment of the present invention. Now referring to
FIGS. 1
,
2
and
7
, another specific embodiment of the method for manufacturing a multilayer card according to the present invention will be described. This specific embodiment of the invention utilizes one of the thermal transfer printers
100
and
200
. In this embodiment, further printing on the multilayer card
600
is performed utilizing one of the thermal transfer printers
100
and
200
.
After the printing process described referring to
FIGS. 1
,
2
and
6
is finished, the multilayer card
600
is retained within the housing
108
without ejection from the housing
108
.
First, the multilayer card
600
, i.e., a lower part of the multilayer card
700
is positioned on a predetermined point on the medium flow path
112
by using the sensor
162
and the feeding roller
164
controlled by the controller
106
. The feeding rollers
164
and
166
feed the multilayer card
700
onto the intermediate transfer roller
158
and the platen
160
along the medium flow path
112
. On top of the opaque layer
608
, the thermal transfer printing section
104
transfers an image layer
702
from the intermediate transfer film
148
to the multilayer card
700
. The image layer
702
includes at least one of the metallic ink and the regular color ink as described above in connection with the opaque color layer
304
, by which various images including characters and graphics are represented.
Second, the feeding rollers
130
,
132
,
164
,
166
,
170
and
172
feed the multilayer card
700
back to the sensor
162
. The multilayer card
700
is positioned on a predetermined point on the medium flow path
112
by using the sensor
162
and the feeding roller
164
controlled by the controller
106
. Then, the feeding rollers
164
and
166
further feed the multilayer card
600
onto the intermediate transfer roller
158
and the platen
160
along the medium flow path
112
. The thermal transfer printing section
104
transfers a watermark layer
704
from the intermediate transfer film
148
to the multilayer card
700
. The watermark layer
704
is at least partially transparent and thus functions as a watermark for avoiding counterfeiting. The watermark layer
704
includes at least one of an ultraviolet (UV) ink layer, a holographic layer, and a special ink layer for improved security.
Then, the feeding rollers
130
,
132
,
164
,
166
,
170
and
172
again feed the multilayer card
700
back onto the transfer roller
120
and the platen
128
along the medium flow path
112
. The transfer roller
120
carries a base layer film
822
instead of the ink film
122
.
FIG. 8
is a cross-sectional view of a specific example of the base layer film
822
used for the embodiments of the multilayer card and the method of manufacturing the multilayer card according to the present invention described referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
. The base layer film
822
includes the base film
300
, the adhesive layer
302
, and a base layer
706
. The base film
300
is made from plastic materials such as PET. The adhesive layer
302
is interposed between the base film
300
and the base layer
706
for affixing the base layer
706
to the base film
300
.
The transfer roller
120
transfers the base layer
706
to a top surface of the watermark layer
704
of the multilayer card
700
. The base layer
706
is affixed to the multilayer card
700
by heat and pressure which are applied by the transfer roller
120
, the heater
124
, and the platen
128
.
Finally, the multilayer card
700
shown in
FIG. 7
is moved along the medium flow path
112
from left to right in FIG.
1
through the feeding rollers
164
,
166
,
170
and
172
for ejection from the housing
108
of the thermal transfer printer
100
.
The specific embodiment of the present invention described above referring to
FIGS. 1 and 7
can be implemented by utilizing the thermal transfer printer
200
illustrated in
FIG. 2
in a similar manner except that the regular color printing is performed by the thermal transfer printing section
204
rather than the thermal transfer printing section
104
. Thus, further detail is omitted.
In the specific embodiments described above referring to
FIGS. 6 and 7
, the base layer
602
corresponding to the printing medium
110
, and the base layer
706
are made from substantially transparent materials including suitable polymers such as PVC, PC, ABS, PPS and PETG. Alternatively, the base layers
602
and
706
may be semi-transparent so that at least part of the image layers
606
and
702
can be seen from the sides of the base layers
602
and
706
, respectively.
In the specific embodiments described above referring to
FIGS. 6 and 7
, the opaque layer
608
is made from materials including resin, cellulose, and ceramics. The opaque layer
608
is not substantially transparent, and functions as a substantially continuously and solidly filled background against which images on the image layers
606
and
702
can be seen. In some embodiments, the thickness of the opaque layer
608
ranges from about 3 μm to about 10 μm, and the thickness of the base layers
602
and
706
ranges from about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm.
As described above referring to
FIGS. 6 and 7
, the base layer
602
and the opaque layer
608
are capable of protecting the watermark layer
604
and the image layer
606
, and the base layer
706
and the opaque layer
608
are capable of protecting the watermark layer
704
and the image layer
702
. Thus, a specific embodiment of the multilayer card of the present invention is advantageous especially when tamper-proof and/or scratch-proof cards are necessary. Furthermore, such a specific embodiment is advantageous to enable a user to see the watermark layer
604
and the image layer
606
through the base layer
602
, and to see the watermark layer
704
and the image layer
702
through the base layer
706
.
The card
600
in
FIG. 6
provides an image and watermark on one side of the opaque layer
608
. By printing the watermark and image directly on the base layer
602
and printing the opaque layer
608
on the image layer
606
, this embodiment may provide a more tamper proof card. The card
700
in
FIG. 7
may provide base layers, watermarks, and images on two sides of the opaque layer
608
, which may provide a card that may be even more difficult to counterfeit.
In the specific embodiments described above, the image layer printing by the thermal transfer printing sections
104
and
204
can be implemented by a single thermal head. However, it should be appreciated that a plurality of thermal heads can be used for the regular color printing. For example, five separate thermal heads can be used for five colors (e.g., cyan, magenta, yellow, and black and white) for the thermal transfer printing sections
104
and
204
.
In the above-described thermal transfer printer used for the embodiment of a multilayer card according to the present invention described referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the feeding rollers
130
,
132
,
164
,
166
,
170
and
172
are appropriately positioned along the medium flow path
112
so that the position of the printing medium
110
is controlled to go back and forth along the medium flow path
112
based on a specific printing process (e.g., watermark layer printing, image layer printing, and opaque layer printing) which is applied to the printing medium
110
.
In the above examples of the thermal transfer printer used for the multilayer card according to the present invention described referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the controller
106
can be implemented by any combination of software and/or hardware. For example, the controller
106
can be implemented by a microprocessor, a memory device which stores instruction codes and data, and an interface which drives external devices such as the feeding rollers, the transfer roller, and the intermediate transfer roller.
Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it should be understood that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, although the illustrated embodiments have been described primarily in the context of a multilayer card, it should be appreciated that various shapes of materials may be used for embodiments of the multilayer card and the method for manufacturing the multilayer card according to the present invention. Therefore, it should be apparent that the above described embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A multilayer card, comprising:a base layer; a watermark layer provided on the base layer, the water mark layer being at least partially transparent; an image layer provided on the watermark layer; and an opaque layer provided on the image layer, wherein the opaque layer includes a metallic layer, and wherein the watermark layer and the image layer are formed by transferring ink of an ink film using a thermal transfer printer.
- 2. The multilayer card of claim 1, wherein the watermark layer includes ultraviolet ink.
- 3. The multilayer card of claim 1, wherein the watermark layer includes a holographic layer.
- 4. The multilayer card of claim 1, wherein the base layer is substantially transparent; the watermark layer is printed on the base layer; the image layer is printed on the watermark layer; and the opaque layer is printed on the image layer.
- 5. The multilayer card of claim 1, further comprising:another image layer provided on the opaque layer; another watermark layer provided on the another image layer, the another watermark layer being at least partially transparent; and another base layer provided on the another watermark layer.
- 6. The multilayer card of claim 5, wherein at least one of the watermark layer and the another watermark layer includes ultraviolet ink.
- 7. The multilayer card of claim 5, wherein at least one of the watermark layer and the another watermark layer includes a holographic layer.
- 8. The multilayer card of claim 5, wherein the opaque layer includes a metallic layer.
- 9. The multilayer card of claim 5, wherein the base layer is substantially transparent; the watermark layer is printed on the base layer; the image layer is printed on the watermark layer; and the opaque layer is printed on the image layer.
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